Immigrant Integration: From the Choice of Destination to Social Integration

Abstract

1) This study examines the destination choices of pan-American migrants using census data for migrants from 23 Latin-American and Caribbean origin groups opting for one of ten North and South American destination countries. Descriptive �findings suggest that Caribbean and Central American migrants overwhelmingly migrate to the United States, while South Americans show more diverse choice patterns. Using discrete choice models, the multivariate analysis shows that migrants are more likely to choose a country of destination which portrays a higher relative expected wage ratio, a lower relative income inequality, a smaller geographic as well as cultural distance, a larger co-ethnic community and policy conditions that are more favorable towards immigrants. The results also indicate that some of these characteristics lead to skill selection diff�erentials. Accordingly, destinations are more likely to attract highly educated migrants if the co-ethnic community is small and relative political freedom, geographic distance and cultural distance are above average. 2)Focusing on macro-level processes, this article combines Decennial Census and Current Population Survey data to simultaneously test longitudinal and cross-sectional effects on ethnic intermarriage using structural and cultural explanations. Covering a 130 year period, the results of our multilevel analysis for 140 national-origin groups indicate that structural characteristics explain why some origin groups become more open over time while others remain relatively closed. Ethnic intermarriage is more likely to increase over time when the relative size of an immigrant group decreases, sex ratios grow more imbalanced, the origin group grows more diverse, the size of the third generation increases and social structural consolidation decreases. Cultural explanations also play a role suggesting that an origin groups' exogamous behavior in the past exerts long-term effects and exogamous practices increase over time when the prevalence of early marriage customs declines. For some of the discussed determinants of intermarriage, longitudinal and cross-sectional effects differ calling for a more careful theorizing and testing in terms of the level of analysis (e.g., longitudinal vs. cross-sectional). 3)Combining Decennial Census (1980-2000) and American Community Survey (2008-2011) data, this article documents Mexican generational and ethnic intermarriage patterns across 543 Consistent Public Use Microdata Areas and evaluates the impact of changes in structural conditions on changes in marital behavior. Descriptive findings point to a generational differentiation with 2nd+ generation Mexicans firmly on the path towards marital assimilation while 1st generation intermarriage rates declined. Moreover, we find strong variation in intermarriage across settlement areas with intermarriage rates generally being higher in new settlement areas. Multivariate analyses suggest that increases in the availability of co-ethnics and Spanish language retention over time deter intermarriage in traditional settlement areas. In re-emerging destination only increases in cultural retention seemed to matter. Finally, we test two competing hypotheses posited by the immigrant replenishment literature. Our results indicate that the impact of immigrant replenishment is moderate by cultural retention and by the degree of negative feelings towards Hispanics experienced in the local context.